Liquid seal for pumps



R. L. FERGUSON.

' LIQUID SEAL FOR PUMPS.

' -APPL|CAT|0N FILED OCT. 13, 1916.

Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

UNITED EDTATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN L. FERGUSON, OF HONDALE, NEW MEXICO.

macro roa- PUMPS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, REUBEN L l nacuson a citizen of the United States, residing at Hondale, in the county of Luna and State of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid Seals tor Pumps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

The invention relates to a liquid seal for pumps.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction for pumps and to provide a liquid seal or? simple and comparatively inexpensive construction adapted to reduce to a minimum friction of the moving parts of a pump and capable of eliminating costly and inefficient sucker rods and similar suction devices and of providing a construction adapted to be operated bya cable drive; i

A further object of the invention is to provide a pump of this character which when operated by a cable drive will respond quickly on the downward or gravity stroke so that a rapid operation of the pump will be effected.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement ct parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated. in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a pump provided with a liquid seal constructed in. accordance with this invention Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing. 7

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the pump comprises in its con-v struction a lower sealing member 1 and an upper member 2, the upper and lower members having relative movement for forcing water or other liquid through the pump into specification of "Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 20i'1921.

Application filed October is, 1.916. Serial No. 125,395.

a discharge pipe 3. The lower sealing member consists of inner and outer walls or cylinders arranged concentric with each other and spaced apart to :providean intervening seal receiving spaceti and connected at their lower ends at 7 1 closing the seal. receiving space. The upper cylinder estends into the seal receiving space 6 and while in the accompanying drawing the upper and lower members are shown in cylindrical form they may of course be of any other configuration. The lower terminal portion 8 of the lower seal receiving or sealing member is enlarged andprovided with a seat 9 for a check valve10 adapted to operate in' the usual manner to permit a liquid to enter" the pump on one stroke and to close and prevent the escape of liquid from the pump on the other stroke. lirthe pump shown in the accompanying drawing the lower sealing member is vertically able and the valve opens on the downward stroke and closes on the up stroke but with some pumps it maybe desired to reverse the movement of the parts and the lowersealing member may be stationary and the upper specific. gravity than the liquid to be pumped,

say for instance, mercury, when water. is pumped. The heightof the column ofliquid in the sealing space or. chamber 6 is pro portlonal to the pressure oil the column of water lifted by the pump as it is necessary for the sealing liquid to exertsuliicient pres sure to sustain the weightof such column of water and prevent leakage of the water or other liquid operated on by the pump. When mercury is employed in a water pump the column of mercury will be at least thirty inches in height for each thirty-two feet of pumping head as will be readily understood. V7 hen there is relative movement of the upper and lower members of the pump the sealing liquid at the inner side or face of the upper member is compressed until the pressure equals the pressure of the column of liquid lifted by the pump and the outer wall or cylinder of the lower member is preferably provided at its upper portion with a horizontal annular enlargement 12 which forms a receptacle for preventing any overflow of the liquid of the sealing chamber or space 6. As it is unnecessary to provide l the horizontal portion of the discharge pipe a-tight fit between the upper and lower relatively movable members of the pump, the said members will not be worn and rendered inoperative by sand and other solid particles and thepump is also adapted'to obviate the necessity of employing sucker rods and similar construction which are not only costly but are rapidly worn out by the cutting ofleather by sand and the like and or frame 15 01" the inner cylinder of the lower member by nuts 16 or other suitable fastening means. The shank or rod 13 is provided at the outer end with suitable means for connecting it to an operating rod or a cable drive and a coiled spring 17 is mountedwithin the upper portion of the upper memberand is adapted to becompressed on the'upward stroke or movement of the lower member whereby it will operate to cause aquick or sudden movement of the lower member in the downwardaction of the pump. This isvimportant when a cable drive is employed as the downward or gravity stroke will be rapid and will not depend entirely on gravity. The dischargepipe 3 is provided with suitable check valves 18 arranged in a horizontal portion 19 and adapted for use in a double acting pump,

being designed to be connected at each end with an upper member 2. While the lower movable member is shown connected with the operating means by the interior rod 13 vthe construction may be simplified by pro viding an exterior connection between the movable member and the operating means.

The inner'wall or cylinder or" the lower member of the pump is provided at its upper portion with an annular fiange'19 eX tending from the inner face of the said wall or cylinder and forming a seat for the lower 'bular sleeve extending from the head in spaced relation to the cylinder with the pipe loosely fitting between the sleeve'and cylinder, the between the sleeve and cylinder being closed at the lower ends thereoi to provide a fluid pocket forming a fluid seal for the lower end portion of the pipe,

an actuating rod secured within the inner sleeve and extending upwardly through the pipe, and aspring engaging the cylinder to yieldably hold the cylinder against vertical movement.

2. A pump including an upper cylinder, a lower cylinder having a bore of uniform diameter throughout its entire length and having an outer concentric mercury contain ing chamber'receiving the lower end or the uppercylinder, the outer wall of said chamher being enlarged laterally at apoint below its upper end and contracted above this point to provide a spill oroverfiow chamber opening into the mercury chamber only.

3. A pump including an upper stationary cylinder, a lower working cylinder, an intake valve in the lower end of said working cylinder, a mercury chamber concentric with surrounding said working cylinder and receiving the lower end of the upper stationary cylinde1',and actuating means for said worlnngcylmder.

In testimony ,whereor l afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

REUBEN L. FERGUSON.

- JVitnesses: I r r A. /V. POLLARD,

P. PnYroN. 

